HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

AFC West Notes: Raiders, MJD, Pryor, Chiefs

January 7th, 2015 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

After a report yesterday indicated that former Raiders head coach John Madden sat in on the team’s interview with Mike Shanahan, Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell revealed that Oakland owner Mark Davis wasn’t even in attendance during his meeting with the team, tweets Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. While that doesn’t necessarily mean anything – perhaps the timing just didn’t work out, with Bevell’s interview window set to close – it may not be a good sign for his candidacy, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk.

Here’s more from around the AFC West, with a focus on the Raiders:

  • We heard during Wild Card week that the Raiders were one of five teams interested in Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, but now that Bowles is eligible to interview for head coaching jobs, Oakland seems to rank as his fifth priority, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The Jets, Falcons, 49ers, and Bears have interviews lined up with Bowles, beginning today, while the Raiders were “essentially told to get in line” behind those clubs, per Tafur.
  • In a second tweet, Tafur adds that the Raiders haven’t ruled out a pursuit of Bowles or Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio – who won’t talk to teams until Denver’s season is over – but neither coach appears to be a strong candidate for the position at this point.
  • Appearing today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), veteran running back Maurice Jones-Drew said he hopes to remain in Oakland and help turn the team’s fortunes around in 2015. While MJD says his body feels good and he wishes he had seen the field more in 2014, the Raiders wouldn’t carry any dead money if they decided to cut the 29-year-old and his $2.5MM cap hit, so he’s certainly no sure bet to be back.
  • Free agent Terrelle Pryor is working out for the Chiefs as a quarterback today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Kansas City already has four signal-callers on its roster, but with offseason limits now applying to the team, it’s possible one more could come aboard.

Jameis Winston To Enter 2015 Draft

January 7th, 2015 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

11:11am: In a statement released by the Legacy Agency, which will represent him, Winston formally confirmed his decision today.

“After weighing this decision with my family and friends, I have decided to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft and forgo my remaining eligibility at Florida State,” Winston said. “I reached this very difficult decision after careful consideration and long thought, realizing how difficult it would be to say goodbye to my family at Florida State. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to wear the garnet and gold and have greatly enjoyed my time as a Seminole, both as an athlete and a student in the classroom.”

8:46am: Despite some rumors to the contrary, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will enter the 2015 NFL draft, forgoing his remaining years of college eligibility, Winston’s father tells David M. Hale of ESPN.com. Per Hale, the redshirt sophomore is expected to make a formal announcement later today.

Winston, who turned 21 yesterday, led the Seminoles to a 26-1 record during his two years as the team’s starting QB, with the only loss coming in last week’s Rose Bowl against Marcus Mariota and Oregon. Winston and Mariota are viewed as the consensus top two quarterbacks available in this year’s draft, and with two teams in need of a signal-caller selecting first and second this year, there’s a chance Winston could be a top-two pick. In Todd McShay’s first mock draft, the ESPN.com scribe has Winston going No. 2 to the Titans.

In his two years at Florida State, Winston actually put up better numbers in his freshman season, racking up 4,057 passing yards and 40 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions en route to a BCS National Championship and a Heisman trophy. The young signal-caller’s overall numbers slipped a little across the board in 2014, but his on-field tools are still considered perhaps the best among this year’s class.

Off-field issues, however, will likely contribute to Winston being drafted after Mariota this spring. The 21-year-old has been involved in a number of controversies during his time at Florida State, most notably being accused of sexual assault, though he was recently cleared from violating the school’s conduct code in that incident. Winston has also been cited for shoplifting, and was suspended for Florida State’s 2014 opened vs. Clemson after making vulgar public remarks on campus.

In spite of those off-field red flags, Winston looks like a lock to come off the board within the first few picks of 2015’s draft. His name is the latest addition to our list of early entrants for this year.

AFC East Notes: Manuel, Bills, Jets, Pats

January 7th, 2015 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up the latest out of the AFC East….

  • In interviews with head coaching candidates, Bills general manager Doug Whaley is suggesting that E.J. Manuel‘s struggles can be attributed more to coaching than to the player himself, a source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Per Carucci, Whaley has spoken in “glowing terms’ about the young quarterback, and is conveying to interviewees that he wants the team’s next head coach to make the progress in developing Manuel that Doug Marrone and his staff couldn’t.
  • Speaking of those Bills‘ head coaching interviews, the team has one lined up for Thursday with ex-Jets coach Rex Ryan, according to Kimberly Jones of NFL.com (via Twitter). Ryan is drawing interest not only from multiple NFL teams, but also from multiple TV networks – he has spoken to ESPN and CBS so far.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap previews the Jets‘ offseason, as the team enters the winter armed with approximately $50MM in potential cap room. In Fitzgerald’s view, the club should target pass rushers, a second-tier cornerback, a running back, a backup quarterback, and a guard in free agency.
  • As he prepares to face the Patriots in this weekend’s divisional playoff game, Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith discussed the offseason meeting with New England that he never made it to. As Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes, Smith’s meeting with the Pats was always viewed as tentative, since the Ravens had the first chance to sign him during his visit to Baltimore.

Giants Part Ways With DC Perry Fewell

January 7th, 2015 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

10:09am: Per Graziano (via Twitter), the Giants are also letting go of defensive backs coach Peter Giunta, who has been with the organization since 2006.

9:53am: The Giants have made a change to their coaching staff today, having decided to part ways with defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Earlier this week, reports had suggested Fewell would likely be returning for the 2015 season, but it appears the team had a change of heart.

Fewell, who had been on Tom Coughlin‘s staff since 2010, was viewed as a candidate to be fired this offseason after his unit dipped from sixth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA in 2013 to 25th in 2014. At his end-of-season press conference, Coughlin strongly defended Fewell’s performance, indicating that he felt the players responded to the defensive coordinator, but if the head coach went to bat for Fewell in subsequent meetings, it appears not everyone in the building agreed with his assessment.

With an opening at the defensive coordinator position, it shouldn’t be long before we start hearing candidates linked to the Giants. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun suggests (via Twitter) that one of those candidates could be Ravens secondary coach Steve Spagnuolo, who previously worked for the Giants as their DC. ESPN’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link) agrees that Spagnuolo could be on the Giants’ radar, but expects the club to cast a wide net in its search.

Saints To Retain DC Rob Ryan

January 7th, 2015 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

Following a disappointing 2014 season in which they finished below .500 and missed the playoffs in the NFL’s weakest division, the Saints were expected to think long and hard about Rob Ryan‘s future as defensive coordinator. It appears now that the team has made its decision — Ryan will return to New Orleans in the DC role for the 2015 season, according to Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune.

While Ryan’s job is safe, there are expected to be a number of changes on the defensive side of the ball for next season, to both the coaching staff and the player personnel, a source tells Holder. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), head coach Sean Payton will attempt to provide Ryan with “better pieces for success” to support him for the 2015 season.

The Saints’ defense ranked fourth overall in Ryan’s first season with the team in 2013, but plummeted to 31st in 2014, both in terms of yards allowed and DVOA (per Football Outsiders). Nonetheless, many Saints defenders voiced their support for Ryan in recent days and took the blame for the unit’s poor performance, with veteran linebacker Curtis Lofton suggesting he didn’t want to play for any other defensive coordinator.

Heading into the 2015 season, the Saints should get notable free agent signee Jairus Byrd back to full health — Byrd’s first year in New Orleans after signing a huge six-year, $54MM deal started slow, then ended fast, when the safety tore his lateral meniscus about a month into the regular season.

Additionally, Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune tweets that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints made enough personnel changes to revert back to a 3-4 scheme, which the club got away from in 2014. Still, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap points out (via Twitter), the Saints are already among the league’s leaders in cap space invested on defense for 2015, so the team’s flexibility may be limited when it comes to roster additions.

Extra Points: Shanahan, Trestman, Ryan

January 6th, 2015 at 9:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will consider leaving the Browns, even for a lateral move, because of friction within the organization, writes Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. Shanahan is aiming to become a head coach somewhere (perhaps in Buffalo) but he’d also like to reunite with his father, Mike Shanahan. The 49ers, Raiders, and Bills are have interest in hiring Mike as a head coach with Kyle as the offensive coordinator. More from around the NFL..

  • Washington interviewed Rod Graves on Monday for their GM position, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). By interviewing Graves, Washington has satisfied the Rooney Rule, so that is not a roadblock in their talks with Scot McCloughan.
  • Former Bears head coach Marc Trestman will interview for the Jaguars‘ offensive coordinator position, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Trestman has already interviewed with the Buccaneers.
  • Rex Ryan will be meeting with CBS executives tomorrow to discuss a possible TV role if he doesn’t land a head coaching job, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
  • The Eagles have requested permission to interview recently promoted Packers exec Eliot Wolf for their personnel opening, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Wolf was recently promoted by Green Bay, ostensibly to keep him in-house as the heir apparent to their own GM job.
  • The Eagles requested GM interviews with Chris Grier (Dolphins), Chris Polian (Jaguars), and Brian Gaine (Texans), sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Texans might have interest in former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, according to Dan Pompei of Sports On Earth (on Twitter).
  • Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson is scheduled to interview with the Jaguars for their offensive coordinator position on Thursday, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Gaine and Lake Dawson, the Titans‘ vice president of player personnel, completed their interviews with the Bears for their GM opening, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.
  • Saints GM Mickey Loomis says that the team will take linebacker Junior Galette‘s arrest “very seriously,” as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. “If at some point we deem it necessary for the club to take some action, we’ll do that,” Loomis said.
  • Loomis feels that the Saints are in better shape financially, Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune (on Twitter). “I would say we’re in a better situation than we were a year ago — on pure salary cap.” He also scoffed at a recent report indicating that he will move into a new role with the team (link).

Draft Notes: Winston, Edwards, Valles

January 6th, 2015 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Jameis Winston‘s father says he won’t announce a decision on whether he’ll enter the NFL draft until after the College Football Playoff National Championship, as David M. Hale of ESPN.com writes. It seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Winston would be going pro, but that’s apparently not the case. Multiple sources tell Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) that the FSU star is seriously considering staying in school for another year. Later, Getlin (link) said that Winston “just might shock the world.” While we wait and see what the quarterback does, let’s take a look at the latest draft news..

  • The University of Houston announced that wide receiver Deontay Greenberry will enter the 2015 NFL draft, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter).
  • Florida State defensive end Mario Edwards plans to enter the NFL draft, according to Joe Schad of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Edwards, 21 in April, is the son of former NFL cornerback Mario Edwards Sr.
  • University of Virginia linebacker Max Valles took to Twitter to announce that he’ll be entering the 2015 draft. Valles is not considered to be one of the nation’s top linebacker prospects by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr (Insider subscription required). Valles originally said in December that he would be staying in school, but he apparently has had a change of heart. The linebacker has promise, but not much in the way of collegiate experience. After spending his first year out of high school at a prep school, he played only two seasons for Virginia. This season, Valles led his team with nine sacks and also had 12.5 tackles for loss.
  • Punter Bradley Pinion announced that he has decided to enter the draft, according to a release on the Clemson Tigers’ website. Pinion averaged 42.6 yards per punt, fifth-best in the ACC, in 2014. He had 28 punts inside the 20 to lead the ACC and break his own school record for a season.

Coach Updates: Bills, Raiders, Jags, Quinn

January 6th, 2015 at 8:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this morning, we rounded up a handful of coaching-related updates. Plenty more items have surfaced over the course of the day, so let’s check in on the latest:

  • The Bills are looking to line up an interview with former Jets coach Rex Ryan, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter).
  • The Bills have spoken with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz about their head coaching vacancy, according to Tim Graham of The Buffalo News.
  • The Bills have a number of head coaching interviews set up for this week — Tim Graham of the Buffalo News writes that the team’s meeting with Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson will happen on Wednesday, while Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will speak to the club on Saturday. Additionally, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that the 49ers have given offensive coordinator Greg Roman permission to pursue the Bills’ HC job, and that interview will take place on Friday.
  • After speaking to several outside candidates, the Raiders will conduct their interview with interim head coach Tony Sparano tomorrow, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links).
  • Former Raiders head coach John Madden sat in on Oakland’s interview with Mike Shanahan in recent days, multiple sources tell Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Bair adds that it’s not clear how involved Madden is in the Raiders’ coaching search, but “it speaks some to the legitimacy of Shanahan” as a candidate for the job.
  • A pair of candidates’ names have surfaced as the Jaguars search for a new offensive coordinator. Rapoport tweets that Jacksonville has asked to speak to Vikings running back coach Kirby Wilson, and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) says Roman will also interview for the position.
  • Preparing for the possibility that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan leaves Cleveland this winter, the Browns have “reached out to guys like Charlie Weis,” tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
  • A longtime NFL executive who has been involved in many interviews for coaches tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link) that Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is “the most impressive candidate” he has seen.

NFC West Notes: Rams, Los Angeles, Cardinals

January 6th, 2015 at 8:39pm CST by Zachary Links

By making an advance move to plant his flag in Los Angeles, Rams owner Stan Kroenke will mobilize the opposition, writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Chargers benefit from their proximity to Los Angeles and another team coming into that territory will take away from their bottom line. By firing the opening salvo, Kroenke is putting the Chargers on high alert. Beyond that, other owners are unhappy with his move to jump the line towards L.A. and with 24 votes needed to approve a relocation, he might have put himself behind the 8 ball. Here’s more out of the NFC West..

  • Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com looks at the Cardinals‘ roster heading into the offseason and the team’s potential free agents. Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly sounds intent on signing a one-year deal, whether it’s with Arizona or another club. Linebacker Larry Foote, meanwhile, is considering retirement.
  • However, Urban writes that he is more focused on the Cardinals‘ free agent class following the 2015 season. Among those scheduled to be up after ’15: defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, quarterback Drew Stanton, wide receiver Michael Floyd, defensive end Frostee Rucker, and many more key players. GM Steve Keim will work to extend many of those players, but that could still signal an offseason of significant change in Arizona.
  • The Rams also have a number of key free agent decisions to make and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks it all down.

Reactions To Dolphins Shakeup

January 6th, 2015 at 7:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we learned that former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum will join the Dolphins’ front office full-time. Tannenbaum, who has been working as a sports agent in recent years, served as a consultant for Miami during the 2014 season. Now, he takes on a much more significant role. Here’s more on that and related news out of Miami..

  • Tannenbaum made a point to praise GM Dennis Hickey and coach Joe Philbin on multiple occasions in a conference call with reporters earlier today, according to James Walker of ESPN.com. Still, it’s no secret that this upcoming season is playoffs-or-bust for Hickey and Philbin or significant changes could be made, Walker writes.
  • “I don’t think we’re far away,” Tannenbaum said, according to Walker. “I think it’s really critical that we have our self-evaluation of where the roster is. I think it starts with that. … We have to attack our needs aggressively.”
  • The Dolphins (on Twitter) announced that Hickey will report directly to Tannenbaum and continue to lead the personnel and scouting departments. He’ll also maintain control of the 53-man roster.
  • Beasley (on Twitter) wonders what will happen if Philbin and Hickey want Mike Wallace out but Tannenbaum wants him back in 2015.
  • Tannenbaum says he will not be involved in the negotiations of his coaching candidate clients, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. That would include Dan Quinn.
  • The Dolphins’ hiring of Tannenbaum to head the team’s football operations is a move that “creates more questions than it offers answers,” writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • In another piece, Walker wonders if the Dolphins truly believe in Hickey.
  • A Dolphins official spoke with Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) and said,”I’m surprised you were surprised. No one around the team is surprised one bit.“

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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